Stapling-machine.



No. 850,290. PATENTED APR. 16, 1907.

T. A. BRIGGS. STAPLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fizz/91357, .7505 471 023 has 5.

/0 EU; J

3 W wU Q 5 W Z wfl/ PATENTED APR. 16, 1907.

T. A. BRIGGS. STAPLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1905.

fiat/era 07", 2 Bwzigjgfs O 9 m l w aw Li 4 l I r//////////I/ Zd idvtessesy .H/Mm,

G W. x. 6. 4,44

No. 850,290. PATENTED APR.16, 1907.

- T. A. BRIGGS.

STAPLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE) THOMAS A. BRIGGS, OF EAST GREENWICH, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGN OR TO BOSTON WIRE STITCHER COMPANY, or EAST GREENWIOH, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

STAPLlNG-NIACHINE.

Patented April 16, 1907.

Application filed June 12, 1906. Serial No. 264.794.

To a, whom Lt may concern..-

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. BRIGGS, of East Greenwich, in the county of Kent and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Staplin Machines, of which the following is a spec cation.

This invention relates to machines for applying staples to attach sheets of paper, &c'., together; and its object is to provide a simple and efficient apparatus adapted to be operated manually, having positive means for driving and clenching the staples, which means is certain in operation and also capable of yielding and automatically adjusting itself to accommodate work of different thicknesses.

A further object is to provide for such a machine a novel detachable staple-holder capable of being readily attached to the machine, which is loaded with staples previously to its attachment and which may be removed, if necessary, when only a partof the staples have been fed therefrom to the action of the stapling devices without losing the remaining staples carried thereby.

To these ends the apparatus consists of the novel and improved constructions which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the upper part of a machine constructed in accordance With the present invention, showing all the essential elements of the apparatus. Figs. 2 and 3 represent front elevations of the stapling and clenching means, showing hem, respectively, in position preparatory to driving a staple and in the position they occupy after a staple has been driven and clenched. Fig. 4 represents an elevation, partially in longitudinal section, of the stapling and clenching means and the detachable staple-holder, showing them in the position they occupy when clenching the staples. Fig. 5 represents a similar view of the staple-driver and adjacent parts preliminary to driving a staple. Fig. 6 represents a sectional plan view taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 represents a front elevation on line 7 7 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 represents an elevation showing the parts in their respective positions as the stapleclenchers commence their operation. Fig. 9 represents a perspective view of a movable a side elevation of the Fig. 10 represents detachable staple- Fig. 11 represents a stop or staple-supporter.

holder or container.

sectional View of the same on line 11 11 of Fig. 10 looking toward the right. Fig. 12 represents a section on line 12 12 of Fig. 10 looking toward the left. Fig. 13 re resents a plan view of the staple-feeder whic pushes the staples from the container into position to be acted on by the driver.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

The plperative parts of the machine are mounte upon a column 1, which supports them at a convenient height and is itself mounted upon a suitable base. (Not shown.) At the top of the column is attached a frame 2, having astandard 3, to which the worksupport 4 and clenchers hereinafter described are attached, and a post 5, to the upper end of which, at 6, is ivoted an arm 7, extending laterally in the irection of the standard 3 and the forward end of which is above the work-support 4. In the end of the arm and directly above a staple-receiving throat in the work-support is a guideway 8, which receives a driver 9, movable therein toward and from the work-support. The guideway is located between a flange 10 of the arm and an end plate 11, being preferably formed wholly in the late.

A bell-cran lever 12, pivoted to a lug 13, extending from the arm 7 ,is detachably engaged with the driver by means of a link 14 and when oscillated causes the driver to be moved in a substantially vertical line toward and from the work-support. The means for actuating the bell-crank lever to operate the driver consists of a crank-pin 15, attached to a drum 16 and to which is pivoted a link 17, the other end of which is pivotally connected to the downwardly-extending arm 18 of the bell-crank. The portion of the drum between its center and the crank-pin constitutes an arm which is movable into line with the link 17 and forms therewith a toggle-joint. It is moved in the direction to extend the toggle bymeans of a flexible cord or wire 19, engaged with the drum and connectedto a rod or wire 20, operated by a treadle at the base of the machine. The treadle is of usual construction and operated in the ordinary manner, and therefore needs. no illustration or further description. A turn is taken in the flexible member 19 about a portion of the drum 16, so as to bind on the same and form a firm frictional connection whichwill prevent slipping, the member 19 being carried over a portion of the periphery of the drum, then passed outward through an orifice 21 around the outside of the drum, then through a second orifice. 22 and over the periphery of the drum again downward to the member 20. When pressure is produced on the latter member by the treadle, the drum is rotated in right-hand rotation and the toggle-levers are carried into extended relation, tension being maintained in the line 19 by means of a spring 23, which is attached to a fixed abutment, which causes the loop in the line to bind against the drum and also acts to break the toggle and restore the drum to its normal position, in which the driver is elevated, as shown in Fig. 1.

By means of the toggle-actuating mechanism a pressure limited only by the strength of the materials used may be obtained for actuating the driver; but in order to allow the driver to automatically adjust itself to different thicknesses of work and act with approxijmately the same pressure on thick as upon thin work a yielding connection is interposed between "the toggle and the bell-crank. This connection is rovided by making the link 17 of two mem ers 24 and 25,,of which the former is attached to the crank-pin and is telescopically arranged within the latter, which in turn is tubular and pivoted to the bell-crank. A spring 26 is located in a socket in the tubular member and bears against the member 24 and an abutment consisting of a set-screw 27, threaded into the end of the socket. This set-screw may be advanced or retracted to vary the pressure of the spring, which acts to extend the members of the link and may yield when an excessive amount of resistance is interposed to the movement of the driver. A pin 28 on the member 24,pro jecting through a slot 29 in member 25, prevents the parts of the composite link being separated under the action of the spring.

In the normal position of the parts, which is illustrated in Fig. 1, the arm 7 is raised above the work-support, and the driver is wholly retracted in its guideway. When, however, the bell-crank lever is moved in a direction to depress the driver, its friction on its pivot and also the friction of the driver rotate the arm about pivot 6 into contact with the work, causing the latter to act as a presser and retain the work. Further rotation of .the bell-crank depresses the driver which forces a stapleinto the work. On the return of the bell-crank under the influence of spring 23 the driver and arm are raised and move until arrestedby a lug-30 on the post 5, with which a rear extension 31 of the arm comes in contact.

After being driven a staple is clenched by means of pivoted clenchers 32, carried on the upper ends of arms 33, which are sup orted on pivots 34, extending from the wor -support. These arms have projections 35 extending laterally, which are engaged in recesses of a slide 36, movable vertically on holding and guidingpins 37 in the work-support. The slide is engaged by a projecting arm or tooth 38, extending from the periphcry of drum 16, which projects into a slot 39 of the slide and engages a shoulder 40 at the top of the notch after the drum has been rotated so far as to bring the toggle-arms into line. Subsequent rotation of the drum elevates the slide,therebyrotating the arms 33 about their pivots and bringing their u per ends and the clenchers together. IT ese latter have extensions 41 ,which en age camsurfaces 42 on the work-support elow and on each side of the staple-receiving throat 43.

and rotate the clenchers about then pivots as the latter are moved together. Thereby the ends 44 of the clenchers are caused to engage and bend inward and upward the legs of a staple 45, projecting through the work w. After the clenchers ave been brought together and their'upper ends 44 then being in line a slight further upward movement of the slide is made which bodily elevates the'arms.

33 and clenchers, such movement being permitted by slots 46 in the arms through which the studs 34 project, and thus a final clenching is given the staple.

The staples to be driven are held by a novel container or magazine, which consists of a rigid bar having an approximately rectangular cross-section of such dimensions that staples placed on the upper surface thereof may rest with their legs hanging down on each of the sides. The bar, which is represented by the numeral 48, may be made of any desired material, but is preferably of wood, as that is the substance which can be most easily worked and also has the necessary stiffness. The bar, having a series of staples packed closely together, is covered with a surrounding layer of .paper, which securely holds the staples on the bar andprevents their being dislodged. Flanges 49, formed on the bar just below the ends of the staples and projecting on each side a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the wire forming the staples, holds the covering 50 somewhat away'from the sides of the staples, so that they can be readily pushed along the bar within the covering. The stapleholding bar 48 is applied in a substantially horizontal position to the arm 7, one end thereof passing through an opening in flange 10 into close proximity with the guideway 8, while the outer end is held by a movable retainer 51, which slides through a passage 52 in the rear extension 31 of the arm and has a reduced extremity 53 which enters an orifice in the end of the bar and is surrounded,

the end of the bar extending across and ob-- structing the guideway. Means for performing this function is provided in the abutment 54, consisting of a plate mounted in a horizontal guide 55 inthe arm and of such width that when projected toward the end of.

the arm it engages the face-plate 11 on either side of the passage-way 8, and so bridges the passage-way. This bridging-abutment has an upwardl -projecting lug 56 located so as to engage t e end of the bar 48 and hold it, out of the guideway. It will be seen from: the foregoing that the staple-holder is thus securely held in position with one end where staples can be pushed forward beneath the driver and that it can beeasily removed and a new one substituted by simply withdrawg the retainer 51 and holder.

For feeding the staples into the guideway there is provided a pusher 57, having a shape anddimenslons in cross-section corresponding to those of the staples and adapted to be placed upon the bar 48 in the same manner as the staples. -It has a central horizontal portion 58 and side portions 59 bent downwardlyto embrace the sides of the bar and also an upward projection 60, formed as a hook,

which may be engaged by any suitable means and by which the feeder maybe impelled along the bar, pushing the staples as it comes along the bar and forcing them one by one into the guideway. The forward edge 61 of the hook 60 is made in such form as most readily to cut or break the upper surface of the paper covering 50 to permit its motion, and to facilitate this result the paper may be previously partly cut on a line of indentations or tion of the feeder down upon the bar and prevent its being elevated by pressure applied to the hook 60. These flanges, however, are not always essential. The pusher may be made of any desired material and in any manner; but preferably it is cut from a single piece of sheet-steel and portions to form the upward projections, the sides, and the flanges bent away from the central portion in the required manner.

A spring 65 is provided for producing a continuous pull, tending to move the feeder toward the driver, one end of the spring beslipping out the stapleing formed with a loo which is slipped over the hook 60, the s ring being then carried over a pulley 66 am its other end being connected to the retainer 51, which is offset to permit its attachment. It will be seen that this arrangement permits a single spring to be used for holding the retainer in engagement with the bar and also for actuating the feeder and that thus equal pressures are produced upon these members.

When the driver is depressed, it completely fills up the guideway 8\and prevents staples being forced into the same; but when elevated into the position shown in Fig. 5 it is raised above the staple-container, and the end staple thereon is thus released and is then fed forward into the guideway by the pusher, which exerts a continuous pressure on the staples and is organized to feed a staple whenever the driver is elevated. In order to guard against the staple falling out of the guideway before arm 7 has been de pressed upon the work, I provide a-staple supporter or sto consisting of a block 67, mounted beneat the sta le-holder in a slot 68 in the arm, the block aving side flanges 69, which project into grooves 70 in the sides of the slot. A bolt or stud 71 in line with the block 67 and normally pressed outward by a spring 72 bears against the end of the block and tends to hold it with its forward end adjacent the guideway. This forward end has projecting wings 73, which extend across the guideway through slots in the faceplate 11', and their forward and upper surfaces are beveled at such an inclination that the, driver when coming in contact with them will force the .block rearwardly against the pressure of spring 72. The block is restrained from advancing far enough to extend its horizontal upper surface across the guideway by means of a shoulder 74, which engages the bridging abutment 55 and arrests the block in the position shown in Fi 5. Thus the driver is able to contact wit the block only on the inclined surfaces. The width of the block is such as to ermit the legs of the staple to straddle the wlngs 73 and to be retained between them and the sides of the guideway. A space 75 is left between the wings which when the block is projected is occupied by a tongue 76 on the face-plate that guides the loop of the staple and prevents it being accidentally bent and forced out from the guideway. i The link 14, which connects bell-crank 12 with the driver, is pivoted at 77 and provided near its pivot with a non-concentric flat surface 78, which is slightly inclined toward the link. This surface is engaged by a stud 79 in the forward arm of-the bell-crank, which-is pressed outward by a spring 80 into contact.

with the surface 78 and tends to hold-the link with its lower end against the driver 9. This lower end is turned toward the driver,

IIO

having a shoulder 81, which restsagainst the away from the driver. This construction permits the driving mechanism to be readily disconnected and held out of engagement;

.with the driver, so that the latter can be taken out.

I do not claim herein the detachable staple-holder capable of being attached to the machine, which holder is loaded with staples previously to its attachment, as the same forms the subject-matter of an a pli cati-on Way rial No. 1

filed by me October 16, 1905, 282,933.

Iclaim- 1. A stapling-machine, comprising staple driving and setting devices, a rotary actuat- I ing member closely adjacent the line of movement of said devices and having provisions for operating one of them, a bell-crank lever having one arm transverse and the other substantially parallel to such line, connected for actuating the other of said devices, and a link joining said actuating member and lever approximately parallel to the transverse arm of the lever.

ment of said devices, said actuator having a projection for operating one of said devices, located adjacent such line of movement, a bell-crank lever having one arm transverse and the other substantially parallel to such line, connected for actuating the other of said devices, and a yielding link joining said actuator and lever.

3. A stapling-machine comprising a worksupport, an arm having a guideway adapted to receive and guide a staple to be driven, a staple-driver movable in said guideway toward and away from the work-support, a detachable staple-holder, means on said arm for retaining said holder in position to feed staples into the guideway, a feeder for the staples arranged to move the latter into the guideway, and a single resilient member normally under tension connected to the retaining means and feeder.

4. A stapling-machine comprising a worksupport, a staple-driver movable toward and away from the worksu port, an actuatinglever, a. link pivoted to the lever and detachably engaged with the driver, being movable about its pivot away. from the driver and having an eccentric surface adjacent the pivot, and a yieldingly-projected stud arranged to engage said surface and hold the link in engagement with the driver.

5. A stapling-machine comprising a worksupport, a staple-supporting arm having a guideway, a face-plate on the arm covering the guideway, a driver movable therein toward and from the work-support, a stapleholder supported on the arm adapted to hold a series of ready-formed staples and to dis-' charge them into the guideway, and a stop for retaining staples slidingly mounted on said arm beneath the staple-holder and having a smoothly-beveled end rojecting across the ideway adapted to lie engaged and wholly retracted by the driver, said stop having also a recess in its beveled end, and the face-plate having slots to receive the stop and an intermediate tongue to enter the recess in the stop for retaining the staples in the guide- 6. A stapling-machine com rising a worksupport, an arm having a gui eway, a driver movable therein toward and away from the worksupport, a detachable staple -holder comprising a bar having staples arranged thereon, mounted with one end adjacent the guideway, a loose abutment bridging the uideway and engaging the said end of the bar to hold the latter out of the guideway, a retainer engaged with the other end of the bar yieldingly impelled to hold the bar against said abutment, means for feeding staples from the bar into the guideway, and means for actuating the driver. 2. A stapling-machine, comprising staple;

driving'and setting devices in line, a rotary actuator closely adjacent the line of move- 7. A stapling-machine comprising driving and clenching instrumentalities, a stapleholder consisting of a bar on which the staples are placed in order, with their legs embracing t e sides thereof, an envelop surrounding the staples, and a feeder shapedto embrace the bar and arranged to'press upon the staples, force them into operative proximity to the driving and clenching instrumentalities, and to divide the envelop.

8. A stapling-machine comprising driving and clenching instrumentalities, a stapleholder consisting of a baron which the staples are placed in order, partly surrounding the same, and a feeder having a central portion resting on the bar and side portions embracing the bar, said bar and feeder having interengagin members to permit movement of the feeder ongitudinally of the bar to feed staples and prevent separation therefrom in a transverse direction.

9. A stapling-machine comprising driving and clenching instrumentalitles, a stapleholder consisting of a bar on which thestaples are placed in order, with their legs emto press upon the staples and force them into operative proximity to the driving and clenching instrumentalitles, and flanges turned inward to retain the feeder on the bar.

10. A stapling-machine comprising driving and clenching instrumentalities, a stapleholder consisting of a bar on which the staples are placed in order, with their legs emracing the sides thereof, a feeder constructed of sheet metal having a central portion resting on the bar, side portions bent down to engage the sides of the bar arranged to press upon the staples and force them into operative proximity to the driving and clenching instrumen'talities, an upward projection, a spring connected to said projection arranged to yieldingly impel the feeder in a direction to feed the staples, and inwardlyturned portions engaging the bar below said projection to prevent the spring separating the feeder from the bar.

11. A stapling-machine comprising driving and clenching instrumentalities, a stapleholder consisting of a bar supporting and partly surrounded by staples, and a retainingenvelop surroundin the staples, and a feeder for moving staples om the holder into operative proximity with said instrumentalities, consisting of a central portion resting on the bar, downwardly-extending sides embracing the sides of the bar to engage and feed the staples, and an outward projection having an edge for dividing the'envelops as the feeder is advanced. a

12. A staplingmachine comprising a supporting-arm, a plate having a guideway secured to said arm, a staple-drivermovable in the guideway, a loose abutment enga ed with the plate at the sides thereof and bridging the guidewa a staple-container carrying a line of stap es mounted with one end adj acent the uideway, and means for feeding the staples from the container into the guide way. y

13. A stapling-machine comprising a supporting-arm, a plate havin a guideway secured to said arm, a stapleriver movable in the guideway, a loose abutment engaged with the plate at the sides of the guideway bridging the latter, a staple-container carrying a line of staples mounted with one end adj acent the guideway, means for feeding the staples from the container into the guideway,

I and'a stop mounted beneath the container and movable toward the guideway, being provided with a projection having an inclined surface of uniform inclination from upper side to end adapted to extend across the guideway and arrest a descending staple and a shoulder located to engage the abutment.

I 14. A stapling-machine comprising stapledriving mechanism, a lever for operating said mechanism connected thereto, clenching mechanism for bending over the ends of a stapleafter driving, a link connected to said lever, and a sin le actuator for both said mechanisms, inc uding a rotary arm con nected to the link for operating the lever, and

operating the clenching mechanism.

1 5. A stapling-machine comprising stapledriving mechanism, an-operating-lever therefor connected thereto, a link connected thereto, a drum pivotally connected. to the link, clenching mechanismarranged to bend over the ends of a staple-after'it has been driven, means for rotating the drum'to bring thepoints of attachment of the link therewith andwith the lever into line with the axis thereof to actuate the lever to drive a staple, and provisions on the drum arranged to actuate the clenching mechanism after the driver-operating lever has been actuated.

16. A stapling-machine comprising a staduring the rotation of the drum and after the drum has operated the staple-driver, and means for rotating the drum.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS A. BRIGGS.

Witnesses:

A. C. RATIGAN, ARTHUR H. BROWN.

a projection for subsequently engaging and ple-driver, a work-support, staple-clenchers engage and operate the clencher-actuator 

